Policymakers in Washington ignored key facts about our state when they recently ducked their responsibility to provide long-term, ongoing funding for South Carolina’s and all of America’s highways, bridges and public transit systems. Instead, they passed a bill to provide funding through July and barely pay for the upkeep of those systems; that’s not good enough for South Carolina.

The “Rural Connections: Challenges and Opportunities in America’s Heartland” report released by non-profit research group TRIP, AAA, the American Farm Bureau Federation, U.S. Chamber of Commerce and U.S. Travel Association found traffic crashes and fatalities on rural roads in South Carolina are significantly higher than all other roads in the state. In 2013, non-Interstate rural roads in South Carolina had the second highest rate nationally and nearly five times higher than the traffic fatality rate for all other roads in state. The report also found significant deficiencies in our rural bridges. In 2014, 12 percent of our rural bridges were rated as structurally deficient – 19th highest rate in the nation.

The federal surface transportation program – on which Congress punted – is a critical source of funding for rural roads and transportation infrastructure nationwide. The current federal surface transportation program is on life support through late July. According to the stakeholders who released the rural roads report, Congress needs to do much more.

In the view of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which also leads the Americans for Transportation Mobility (ATM) Coalition: “Improving the transportation system will create jobs today and leave a lasting asset for future generations.” And in AAA’s view: “The 61 million people who live in America’s rural heartland deserve a transportation system that is safe, efficient and reliable.”

The quality of life in South Carolina’s and America’s small communities and rural areas and the health of the rural economy is highly reliant on the quality of rural transportation systems – even more than urban areas. The TRIP report made practical recommendations such as the following to help bring our rural communities up to par: modernizing and extending key routes to accommodate personal and commercial travel, improving public transit access to rural areas, and providing adequate funding for rural transportation assets.

It’s time for South Carolinians to tell Congress to take seriously the need to fix our rural roads – and our entire transportation infrastructure. No more delays, no more excuses.

Eric Dickey

Chairman

South Carolina Alliance to Fix Our Roads

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Six states raised their gas taxes on July 1 in order to help pay for transportation projects, but an ARTBA analysis shows actual retail prices at the pump mostly fell, in line with recent patterns. Residents of Idaho, Georgia, Maryland, Rhode Island, Nebraska and Vermont all saw their gas taxes raised at the July 1 start of the new fiscal year. The largest increase took place in Idaho, where the 7 cents-per-gallon hike was signed into law in late April, while Georgians saw their gas taxes go up by 6.7 cents-per-gallon. Other increases ranged from 0.35 cent-per-gallon in Vermont to 1.8 cents-per-gallon in Maryland.

The tax increases, however, did not translate to an actual penny-to-penny increase in the retail price motorists paid at the pump, keeping in line with a recent ARTBA analysis that shows only a percentage of the levy is passed on to consumers. Daily data from AAA showed the national average retail price of gasoline slid 0.5 cent from June 30 to July 1, while the largest of only two gains in state retail prices took place in Nebraska, where prices rose 0.3 cent. In Idaho, where the largest gas tax increase of 7 cents went into effect, prices rose just 0.2 cent, while prices in the other four states slumped on July 1.

On July 2, the national average retail price rose 0.4 cent, while the largest state gain in prices was 3.1 cents in Idaho, followed by 0.7 cent in Georgia. State prices in Maryland, Rhode Island, Nebraska and Vermont, however, fell from July 1 to July 2, and prices in all four states remained under prices from June 30, prior to the gas tax increases taking effect.Read More

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(Washington)—Increasing the gas tax does not result in a commensurate penny-to-penny increase in the retail price motorists pay at the pump, a study of the market impacts of five state gas tax increases enacted in 2013 found.

The analysis, by Dr. Alison Black, chief economist for the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA), found, on average, the price for a gallon of regular gasoline the day after a state gas tax increase goes into effect only reflects about 22 percent of the new levy. A month after enactment, only about a third of the levy shows up in the pump price, she says, and thereafter, it is not a significant retail price factor.

The study also found that since 2005 the average weekly price of gasoline nationally has fluctuated, on average, five cents per gallon. Black says a modest increase in the federal gas tax rate to restore the purchasing power of the user fee—last adjusted in 1993—would likely be “lost” in the week-to-week price fluctuation experienced at the pump.

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After months of debate and stalemates, the senate failed to pass a bill this legislative session that would provide funding to repair our broken roadways.

But there’s a chance for lawmakers to provide short-term funding for this year. New revenues recently certified are at the disposal of the Senate and House of Representatives as they return to Columbia to finalize a budget for fiscal year 2015-2016.

These new revenues do not come close to sufficiently funding South Carolina’s crumbling infrastructure, but a drop in the bucket is better than no drops at all.

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With political roadblocks killing any comprehensive infrastructure plan again this year, South Carolina must literally “fill the holes” in road funding with surplus dollars

Columbia, SC – For the second year in a row, the South Carolina Senate failed to pass any form of long-term plan to address the state’s infrastructure needs, leaving both the state’s pot holes and transportation funding holes unaddressed. The General Assembly must now appropriate as much of the $400 million in supplemental dollars as possible to critical infrastructure needs or risk further crumbling of state-owned highways and bridges, increased job losses in the construction industry and hampering economic development.

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina lawmakers ended this year’s legislative session at 5 p.m. Thursday without passing what they said at the beginning of the session was their top priority—a plan for fixing state roads and bridges.

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My name is Sarah Fields, I am 15-years-old and have just received my learners driving permit. As a teenager, getting a car is a big deal both financially and emotionally. However, this new permit is accompanied by added stress and financial burden of your car or health being damaged from the bad roads in South Carolina.

South Carolina roads are ranked the second most deadly roads in the country – this statistic is terrifying to a new driver. Our roads are not only unsafe, but the future economic development in S.C. is also at risk of suffering from your inaction.

It amazes me that these issues could be avoided if the General Assembly would pass a plan to fund our roads. Do the right thing for the citizens of South Carolina and fix our roads.

COLUMBIA, SC — S.C. lawmakers likely will drive home a week from Thursday without passing a plan to fix South Carolina’s crumbling roads and bridges.

With five days left to pass a road-repair plan, one senator has taken over the state Senate, arguing a $85M proposal to spend money from a state savings account proposal should include money for roads.

State Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort, along with a handful of the Senate’s most anti-tax lawmakers, also want an anticipated $400 million in additional state revenues to go to pay for road repairs, likely wrecking any plan to increase the state’s 16.75 cent-a-gallon gas tax.

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Rural roads in the Palmetto State are the second deadliest in the United States, according to a report from national nonprofit transportation research group, TRIP.

Connecticut is the only state that ranked below South Carolina. The fatality rate in SC is 3.40 deaths for every 100 million vehicle miles traveled in 2013. This statistic for rural roads is nearly five times that of other roads in our state.

With 12 percent of our rural bridges rating as structurally deficient, its no wonder that businesses, citizens and legislators are banding together to address this crucial issue.

Dozens of people stood up for SC roads in the State House lobby on Tuesday, May 19, urging lawmakers to use the days remaining in this legislative session wisely and to debate and pass a solution to fix our roads.

Join our coalition of South Carolinians to support fixing our roads!

On Tuesday, May 19 at 11:30 a.m., you’re invited to join us at press conference in the SC State House lower lobby.

A broad coalition for road and bridge improvements including members of the SC Alliance to Fix Our Roads, representatives of senior citizens, and leaders in business, agriculture and tourism will attend a rally at the State House in Columbia on Tuesday, May 19.